Some Of The Best Recordings

Maurice Chevalier
Ray Coniff Vocal Group
Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney
Dean Martin

Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney

Heard On Screen

Fabulous 50's
Port A Preter

For sheet music contact: www.halleonard.com

The Story Behind The Song

Marguerite Monnot was a famous French songwriter who had written practically every Edith Piaf hit, including this one. The American publisher who acquired it called me from the west coast to say he was sending me a demo instrumental and wanted me to write an English lyric. He said the song was titled: "Pauvre Gens de Paris".

Well, in my high school French that translated as "Poor People of Paris". Immediately I started thinking of lines I could use to make this an ironic satire: "those poor French people who had nothing to live on but love and wine and love and music!" So when the demo arrived I was ready and started to create the lyric above.

Imagine my chagrin when I finally got a copy of Ms. Monnot's original French and it read: Pauvre JEAN de Paris! Poor Jon! Not Poor PEOPLE! However I can't be faulted.

JEAN and GENS are pronounced alike in French. Fortunately, the publisher liked my amusing lyric and this is what this hit has remained through he years. You'll get a kick listening to the fun Crosby and Clooney had recording their duet.